Former Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture Lillian Boyce has strongly defended the former government’s investment in the construction of the Turks and Caicos Islands national stadium, saying that it was never designed only to host the 2007 CARIFTA Games.
She said the track was at the heart of the overall developmental strategy for track and field in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and also to help market the country as a sports tourism destination.
Boyce said she thought it necessary to address the issue of the construction of the stadium, in light of a question raised by Dr. Linda Williams, a member of the Consultative Forum.
In a question directed to Chief Executive Mark Capes, Dr. Williams asked: “The National Stadium erected in February 2007 on the Island of Providenciales at an estimated cost of USD$7 million served a very useful purpose for the hosting of a one-time event – CARIFITA – in April 2007 over a four-day period.
Given the controversy surrounding the level of investment is realizing this project, and the fear that the absence of a well thought out plan for it’s usage beyond the one time event, will the Chief Executive kindly say :
What is the total cost of maintenance of this facility over the three-year period?”
Boyce took issue with Dr. Williams comments about the absence of a well thought-out plan for the usage of the stadium.
She said:  “It is quite unfortunate that some people still cannot appreciate the vision that I had for track and field and athletics. It was that same kind of thinking that almost prevented us in 2007 from hosting CARIFTA, which was one of the best ever in the history of the games,” Boyce said.
“Ever since we hosted CARIFTA, our athletes have had the joy and privilege of competing on a world-class track that has a reputation of being one of the fastest and best in the Caribbean. But it was also our intention to encourage professional athletes to use the track for their training camps, plus stage other regional and international athletics meets here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. These events would have attracted major media coverage and enhanced our country’s international profile and marketability, while at the same time boosting the local economy whenever they were held.”
Boyce said that in addition to constructing the track, new track and field equipment was bought, a professional coach (Michael Jules) was hired and a proper athletic programme was put in place.
“CARIFTA was a giant step for us in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the sense that it was the first time we hosted the event and we raised the bar to an entirely new level. There was such a great outpouring of national pride among our people. We showed the people of the Caribbean what we were capable of doing as a country and I think it was fairly obvious that CARIFTA was just the beginning of bigger and more exciting things as far as track and field was concerned. After the track was constructed and with the programmes we had in place, athletics in this country was totally transformed, but it is unfortunate that we have not built on that foundation,” she added.
The former Deputy Premier said the stadium track was long overdue, adding that there should have been tracks in Grand Turk, South Caicos and North Caicos.
“For far too long our children and our athletes did not have adequate and appropriate track and field facilities that would have allowed them to develop to their full potential. Although we had athletes who did well in the past, one could only imagine how much better they and others could have done, if we had decent facilities in place,” Boyce continued.
Boyce said the Turks and Caicos Islands has a wealth of talent but all the country needs to do is make better use of the track and implement a stronger and more structured athletics programme.
Posted March 10 2010